Christmas Eve
by crowskisses
Summary: 10 years later on Xmas eve, Matt centric with references to "The Summer of Bonnie, Matt and Damon" and "I love college."  A touch angsty.


Summary: 10 years later on Xmas eve, Matt centric with references to "The Summer of Bonnie, Matt and Damon" and "I love college." A touch angsty.

Rating: K

Disclaimer: I own nothing, just some crazy thoughts.

Christmas Eve

It had become a yearly tradition to spend Christmas Eve lunch at the boarding house, a chance for them to make sure wasn't alone, but mainly a chance for them to remember. Matt knew they were all back in town, he'd seen Mary at the grocery store earlier that day. All the same he went over to the boarding house early, knocking with a familiar ease from Sunday brunches. opened the door, she looked the same if a touch more frail. "Matt, dear."

"Merry Christmas." He gave her a small one handed hug, holding his bag of presents in his other hand. "I figured you might need some help."

She took the presents from him, "I left the decorating for you, dear. Just like always."

He gave her a bright smile, heading for the familiar box. Just like always, he'd been in charge of hanging the mistletoe and topping the tree since he was eighteen. Ten years seemed like forever when for a long time he doubted he'd make it to the next week alive.

He made himself busy, hanging the mistletoe in all of the usual places while listening to the Christmas record had put on. Eventually the doorbell rung again and Matt found himself glancing in the mirror to check how he looked, a rarity for him.

"Matt will you get that?" called from the kitchen.

"Yeah." He yelled back, before opening the door to reveal Meredith and Alaric.

"Matt." Meredith's voice was full of gentle excitement and he hugged her softly, doing his best not to crush her swollen belly.

"You look wonderful." And he meant it, pregnancy agreed with her.

She was still hanging on, her whisper a touch fiercer in his ear. "I've missed you."

"You too." He let go with a squeeze, turning to Alaric. "How are you?"

A half hug, "Hey coach! We're good, just getting settled in at Charlottesville."

Matt moved aside, "Maybe I'll be there with you someday. Somebody needs to fix up UVA's football team."

Alaric laughed, helping Meredith into the house. "Amen to that."

Matt turned to shut the door to find himself looking into Bonnie's bouncing eyes. He smiled, covering the sucker-punched feeling he always felt at seeing her this way. Eternally frozen in her college years, damned by Matt himself in act of desperation and a single capful of magical water. "Matt!"

Her small body impacted his and he hugged her tight, dropping his face into her honeysuckle and roses hair. "Bonnie. I've missed you!"

She mumbled something into his chest and he couldn't understand what. He let her go and she was flying past him directly at Meredith. He turned back to the man who'd come with her, "Damon."

Damon reached out and gave him a cool handshake, "Matt."

That was all they said, friendship had never grown between them in all these years. Their relationship would always exist teetering between begrudging respect, civility and outright rudeness. Damon moved past him, carrying his load and company to the tree where Alaric was putting his own presents down.

Matt glanced at Bonnie and Meredith and decided to slip into the kitchen, "Do you need any help?"

shook his head and wiped her hands on her apron. She handed him a mug with a smile that understood far too well, after all she'd helped nurse his broken heart over the years. "Ma_ma _says you should watch for the mistletoe."

"Thanks." He took a sip of the mulled wine, his thank you for both Mrs. Flowers and Mama. He could hear the shrieking from the den that meant Elena and Stefan had arrived.

…...

"So, Robert E. Lee are state champions! We never even managed that." Stefan joked from across the table.

Matt's returning smile was genuine. "No, but we were busy doing other things." He added the true secret of his team, "I've got six werewolves on the team. Not sure anyone stood a chance."

"Don't be so humble! Take some credit, Matt. It's not like being a werewolf made Tyler a good player." Bonnie laughed, turning from her own conversation with Mrs. Flowers. Her hand touched Damon's wrist as she turned, an absentminded affection Matt envied.

Bonnie and Damon, together finally, though it had taken years to get there. It was not the lightening quick, soul binding, life changing event it had been for Stefan and Elena. It had not rocked the seven lives at the table to the same degree, leading them through hell and beyond. It had really touched three of them, maybe four if you counted Elena. No, Bonnie and Damon's love had been slow to grow, intermittent in its milestones. Bonnie had needed to grow up, grow into herself and into her love and Damon had done the opposite growing out of his obsession with Elena. Matt had hated every second of it.

To cover his lapse he said the only thing he could think of, not thinking how it might sting. "I saw Mary at the grocery store today. She was telling me that you're addicted to botox! At 28!"

Bonnie laughed at his clucked impression of her sister, though it never reached her eyes. "They all think that, except maybe my father."

"He's no fool." Damon added quietly.

"Nor does he suffer them gladly." Bonnie's teasing tone was directed at the dark vampire, who's half smile quirked up in response. Some private joke, the kind Matt would never share with her. As if she could sense his discomfort she turned back to him, with a small shrug. "But my dad's from a village that thinks fairies still exist." She smiled again, this time just for Matt. "My dad goes to all the games. I hope his screaming doesn't throw you off!"

Matt laughed, was a regular fixture at Robert E. Lee sporting events, often yelling at the team and often at Matt himself. He always apologized after the game and had never once failed to joke that Bonnie should have picked him. It was a familiar twinge every week. "Tell him we're looking for a volunteer assistant coach for next year."

"I will, though you'll probably be sorry you offered." She laughed again, her giggles had grown with her into a laugh that lit up the room.

Elena tapped her glass at the end of the table, glancing down to make sure she had everyone's attention. "Let's get this cleaned up and move into the living room!"

…...

Matt found himself the last person in the kitchen with Bonnie who was still at the sink, washing away. He could definitely feel the mulled wine going to his head and that was not a good thing. He opened the fridge, putting away the rest of the ham only to find a small white arm reaching around him for a water.

Matt jumped a little, when had she gotten so quiet? But his eyes went upwards, the words coming out in an exhale, "Mistletoe."

He took his time turning, finding that Bonnie was blushing her brown eyes for him only, not even a glance to the living room where her mate lurked. Her voice had a nervous giggle to it, "A kiss?"

"Yeah. It's tradition, right?" His own voice had the same nervous quality as her stout nod. He bent and bent further, he'd forgotten how short she was. He'd intended just to peck her, but when his lips touched hers something else took over, something old and unforgotten rising. It caused his arms to wrap around her and his lips to stayed glued to hers for much longer than a moment.

She pulled away first, a quick sideways glance going to the living room where the black eyes Matt could feel watching him were. Matt straightened, the mulled wine allowing him to flip a bird behind his back, knowing the black eyes would see it without Bonnie being able to. The heat of the gaze disappeared in a quiet chuckle, Damon had always appreciated being stood up to.

Bonnie fidgeted, opting for leaning against the counter. She made no move to go into the living room and Matt copied her stance, "Is he going to be mad at you?"

She shrugged, her left thumb rubbing her ring finger. "He can't be. I've already seen him under the mistletoe with Elena tonight."

Matt made a face and suddenly wanted out of the house, he motioned at the kitchen door. "Want to take a walk?"

She nodded and followed him out of the house and they walked in silence for a few beats. Bonnie broke it first, "Don't judge him."

"For what?" It came out a snap and Matt regretted it even though he judged Damon for so many things.

"Still having feelings for her." Bonnie's voice was reasonable, no insecurity lurking there. Her brown eyes slid sideways as Matt was about to protest, "Don't. It's not like you don't."

Matt shut his mouth and opened it again, nothing came out. He repeated the process, finally settling on, "It's different. She was my first love!"

Bonnie shrugged again, "You'd kiss her given the chance. It's how love works, Matt. We never forget, we just bury it."

"Sometimes it wakes up again." This mild conversation wasn't about whether Damon and Elena were going to start a torrid affair over a kiss, it was about two completely different people. 

"Sometimes it should stay asleep." Another mild response as they headed deeper into the wood. Flighty romantic Bonnie had disappeared along the way, replaced with the deep knowledge lurking in the brown eyes.

Matt made another face, realizing where they were going. He walked in silence, Bonnie wasn't his, would never be his. Once, dancing wildly in the clearing they were heading to, he thought she might be. Once, beyond the gate of hell she had been, one of the oddest happiest years of his life. "Are you happy?"

She had wrapped her arms around herself, fighting the winter chill. They really should have grabbed jackets. "Most of the time."

"Just most of the time?" He knew his voice was wistful, but that was how he felt with Sue. He loved her kindness and her sweet personality most of the time, but most of the time wasn't enough to base a life on.

"Most of the time is more than most can ever ask for in a lifetime." A gentle rebuke and Matt remembered she could read his thoughts. "You should propose to Sue, she'll make you happy."

"I could have been happier." He regretted the words coming out, Sue didn't deserve someone that would say that. She deserved the Matt she got most of the time, who worshipped the ground she walked on and brought home wildflowers just to see her eyes light up. And if that Matt laid awake at night wondering what ifs, Sue never deserved to know, even if she would carry her own what ifs.

Bonnie was hugging herself in earnest now as they broke through the trees into the clearing. She would never say she could have been happier, would never assume she would ever have the over the top, wildly affectionate love of Stefan and Elena. She had what she wanted, a love that was long and true, a love that would hurt her sometimes and a love so strong both people would flee on occasion. Matt understood it, even if he didn't want to. Hell, he'd flown to Rome two years ago to find her crying her eyes out somewhere deep in Trastevere. She'd even come back to Fell's Church with him for a few months and that was the last time he'd try and play hero to her fleeing heart.

Back in the present he watched he walk over to the middle of the clearing and drop to her knees. He followed with just a glance at the trees near the ruined Francher chimney, he couldn't even pick out which one had almost ended his life. She touched the ground almost reverentially, her fingers tracing old blood stains he knew she couldn't see. Her voice was quiet, a soft whisper on the wind. "He still dreams about coming back, you know."

"Klaus?" Matt asked, moving closer, his own voice was quiet.

She nodded, her brown eyes coming back to the clearing. "I dream of him from time to time, but its eons yet before he has the chance to be free." She glanced sideways at him, a teenager for just another moment. "Don't tell the others, they'll just worry when there's nothing to worry about."

He nodded, a thought occurring to him. "You're still getting stronger?"

She nodded and for one moment looked miserable, then it was hidden away again, slid behind a mask she'd learned from Damon. "I see all the time now." She sat back, deflating into herself like an autumn leaf to the ground. "I see this."

"What?" He sat down gently next to her, his heart beating unevenly. If only he could go back two years and make her stay.

She gestured between them with a weak hand, she'd fought against it for so long. "Damon doesn't share."

"Not even on Christmas?" Matt asked, his heart hammering as hope flared.

"Vampires don't celebrate human constructs." The dark voice was cool behind him and Matt jumped, throwing up an arm to automatically shield himself from the coming blow. Nothing came, and he peeked around his arm. Damon was dropping a coat around Bonnie's shoulders, ignoring his cowering.

Matt straightened, regaining his pride. He hesitated, but Bonnie was back to looking at a battle long ago fought. "I'm going back to the boarding house."

…...

"I wasn't going to." Bonnie protested weakly after Matt's steps had faded.

Damon sat on the frozen ground next to her, brushing a curl from her neck. "Good. I don't believe in any of that Same Time, Next Year movie nonsense, redbird."

"How was the kiss?" Her voice was still guarded.

"What kiss?" He asked smoothly, fingers lingering on her neck. Her eyes bored into his and he smiled slowly, mischief lurking there. "You mean Elena and Alaric's? It was quite entertaining."

She smiled back, her laughter echoing around the clearing. Another solstice night where laughter had rung echoed back to her mind, except this time nobody refused the hand held out to them.


End file.
